Path of Light
by Shinreizen
Summary: When Sai disappeared, Shindo fell into coma. What a Go prodigy to do when reality turned his life upside down? Will he start all over again? Discover Hikaru's journey towards the divine move.
1. Prologue

Unbetaed, so I'd like to apologize in advance for any grammatical errors you might find in this fic.

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><p><strong>Path of Light by Shinreizen<strong>

**Prologue**

**o…oOOo…o**

"For a thousand years, I thought that the reason my soul is allowed to survive in this world is because Kami-sama took pity on me and gave me a second chance to search for the divine move. Then I realized that Kami-sama gave me such a long time just to find you, Hikaru."

Fujiwara no Sai, a Go ghost from Heian period smiled at the tired teenager dozing off in front of him. He felt a little bit guilty demanding a game from the boy who just returned home from a Go seminar, but he wanted to spend his last moment with Hikaru and a Go game. The disappearing spirit said remorsefully, "Disregarding the fact that it was I who put an end to my own life, I stubbornly, selfishly want eternal time for myself to play Go. However, if Torajiro existed for my sake, then I simply existed for you…"

Unaware of Sai disintegrating in front of him, Hikaru blinked sleepily, jerking his head up at the fading voice. "It's your turn, Sai."

"…for you are me in the distant future."

The feel of gentle breeze against his cheek made him yawn. "Huh? What did you say just now?" Having no reply, he became alert and looked in front of him. There was no Sai, only a barely started game on his goban. Fighting the terrible feeling suddenly spreading in his chest, Hikaru frantically searched his room, hoping that Sai was just playing around with him.

'_The divine move, I leave it to you…'_

"Sai? Where are you?"

He was taking a step toward his door when a brilliant golden light exploded around him, swallowing him into a vortex of nothingness.

**ooo…ooOOoo…ooo**

Hikaru stirred slowly, resisting the lethargy he was feeling at the moment. He couldn't even move his hands. It felt like his whole body was cemented to his bed from neck to toes. A gasp was heard in the room, followed by rushed footsteps toward his bed. There was this curious sound beeping consistently despite the flurry of activities around him.

He was struggling to open his eyes when a male voice, suspiciously sounded like his father's spoke to someone near his bed. "He's waking up. Our prayers have been answered."

The teenager could feel a gentle hand caressing his forehead, while another grasped his fingers reassuringly. Staring blearily at the white ceiling, the comfortable feeling in such care lulled him into slumber again. However, his intention was prevented by soft palm tapping firmly against his cheek. "Hikaru, can you hear me? Please, open your eyes, son. Look at me."

His stubborn nature wanted to ignore the pleading tone, yet he could sense the urgency that told him that there was something wrong about the situation. Tiredly, he opened his eyes again to notice his mother in tears, and his father trying to console her. A smile formed on his father's weary face, as if a great burden had been relieved from him. Strange indeed. What was his father doing in his room? Why was his mother crying? On top of it all, where's Sai?

"Hikaru, you're awake. Kami-sama, he's really awake. Thank you. Oh, thank you!" Now his mother was bawling like a baby, she was leaning too close near him and the grip on his hand was getting stronger. Feeling confused, and a little bit upset that his rest was interrupted by the commotion, he tried to voice out his opinion. However, to his horror, there was something that felt like tube in his mouth helping him to breathe. Then he tried to raise his hand to his throat only to realize that there were tubes all over his body, hooked to various monitors and devices.

'_Tubes? What the heck happened to me? And where I am right now?'_

"Be careful, Mitsuko. He's still too weak to handle anything right now. Let the doctor take a look at him." His father finally managed to calm his mother down, gently coaxing her to leave their stools and gave way for people in whites to examine him.

Although his body was currently in a vegetative state, his mind was as sharp as a Go-pro during his match. '_Doctor? So I'm in a hospital then. Weak? True, I could barely turn my head. But why did my body feel so sore?'_

His thoughts were distracted by a man in white coat. "Hello there," the man said, giving him a gentle smile. "Hikaru-kun? I'm Takeda-sensei, your doctor here. Please blink your eyes twice if you understand me."

Hikaru stared at the doctor, who looked like he was in his early forties, before doing exactly as he was told. The smile widened encouragingly. "That's good, Hikaru-kun, really good. Now Hikaru-kun, can you please, slowly squeeze my hand?" Takeda-sensei carefully held Hikaru's right hand with his, waiting patiently for him to follow the instruction. It required a bit of effort, but he managed to give the doctor a weak, yet firm squeeze of his hand.

"That's another great discovery. Wonderful, you're doing much better than I thought, Hikaru-kun." The male doctor then asked him to do a series of simple gestures, all of which he performed quite successfully. His parents watched his progress with wonder and amazement. Their gaze met, and he tried to smile uncertainly at them. He received a prideful smile in return. "Do your best, Hikaru..!" His mother mouthed the words. His father nodded imperceptibly at him.

'_It's totally weird. They were looking at me like I just scored straight A's in my final exam.'_

There was movement on his left, causing his eyes to change focus toward a young woman in a nurse uniform. "Hikaru-kun, I'm your nurse, you can call me Miyuki-san," the woman said cheerfully. "This might feel a little bit uncomfortable, but we're turning your body in bed to prevent pressure sores." Considering he couldn't even ask what the nurse meant by pressure sores, he just let them do their work quietly. At least he didn't have to suffer the pain of being in one position for too long, like playing Go while sitting in seiza did to him previously.

He eyed them wearily as Takeda-sensei wrote something on his clipboard and the nurse, Miyuki-san adjusted the position of his feeding tube. There was some discussion between the medical personnel and his parents, but Hikaru was too sleepy to focus on the contents of their conversation. He just ignored them and wondered where Sai had been hiding, hoping that the Go master would just appear and promise him a good game as soon as he woke up. They still needed to resume their unfinished game anyway.

"It's a miracle indeed, Shindo-san. His brain activity is so active even though he has been conscious for only thirty minutes. It is such a rare case for a comatose patient, a puzzling discovery. With such amazing progress, I'm sure he'd leave the ICU sooner than we thought." The doctor looked at bed-ridden boy and said, "Of course, he still needs to go through the rehabilitation program before he could lead a normal life again."

The shocking statement should jolt him out of his bed. However, the last thing Hikaru heard before sleep claimed him again was the worried cry from his mother.

**ooo…ooOOoo…ooo**

It had been two weeks since he found himself waking up in the hospital. It took him a few days after such miraculous event, according to the doctor, to realize that Sai had disappeared. He had been waiting everyday afterward for Sai to materialize in front of him again, but there was no trace of him whatsoever. The knowledge hit him hard enough to send him into a panic attack, one the doctor almost mistook as an epileptic seizure. Thankfully, they managed to calm his nerves down without causing unnecessary damage to his recuperating body.

It was a beautiful sunny day, though he couldn't really walk on his own to feel the comfortable weather outside. Hikaru had been transferred to a rehabilitation ward a few days ago. Before he left the Intensive Care Unit, Takeda-sensei had congratulated his remarkable development, mentioning about how rare it was to see a patient moving directly from coma to a state of full consciousness. Currently, he had passed all possible tests and assessments except for something called cognitive evaluation, so he was told.

One of the first sentences that came out of Hikaru's mouth after he was strong enough to speak at will had baffled everyone that heard him.

"_Did anyone inform Japanese Go Association about my situation?" _

"_Japanese Go Association? Where did you hear of it?" His grandfather asked him, clearly surprised by his question. His father was nowhere to be seen, obviously busy with his work. Considering that he was the one working hard to pay for all of his medical fees, Hikaru wasn't so disheartened by his absence. _

"_Huh? I was talking about the game. I hope I didn't have to forfeit too many rounds of my Oteai match." He could see the desperate glances shared between his mother and his grandfather. Even the medical professionals in the room looked a little bit alarmed by his innocent remark. Ten minutes later, another doctor had come in, introducing himself as Satomi Kenichi, a psychiatrist that would assist in Hikaru's therapy._

_He was asked a series of questions, all of which he answered perfectly. However, the more he explained to the doctor, the more he felt like they withheld crucial information from him. When he expressed his confusion and asked about whether his forfeits would affect his status as a pro, the doctor told him that he shouldn't worry about it and instead focus on his recovery._

_Before Satomi-sensei left the ward, he was informed of another session on the next day. His guardians would have to wait outside, but they would be briefed on his conditions later._

True to his word, the very same doctor from yesterday had visited him again right now, no doubt to torment him with more questions and less answers. Satomi-sensei put his briefcase near the leg of the small table. He checked the condition of the IV drips on Hikaru's left arm then took his seat on the chair, maintaining a practiced distance between them. "Alright, Hikaru-kun. Let's do this again. Are you ready?"

"I'm ready, Satomi-sensei." Hikaru nodded his head at the doctor, adjusting his position on the wheelchair. He didn't really understand why he had to answer a lot of repetitive questions from the psychiatrist, but since he was promised a game of Go if he cooperated with their assessment, he simply stopped complaining.

"Good. Hikaru-kun, what day is today?"

"It's Tuesday, May 22, 2001." He answered briskly. _'It's been eighteen days since Sai's disappearance.'_

"That's a quick answer, Hikaru-kun. Now, please tell me anything you remember about yourself and your family." It was not an easy question to ask to a coma survivor, but Hikaru was an enigma. At first, they found nothing wrong with him, except for the need of physical therapy to improve his motor skills and self-care activities. That was until they carried out neuropsychological assessment to test his cognitive function and probed deeper into further mysteries.

"I am Shindo Hikaru, son to Shindo Masao and Mitsuko, grandson to Shindo Heihachi. I'll turn fourteen years old by September 20. Currently, I'm a third year at Haze Middle School." He stared right into the doctor's eyes, reminding him that they still owed him some clarification regarding his career status. "I'm also a shodan Go professional, though I must have missed a few games by now. I hope my mum has contacted the Japanese Go Association to inform them of my medical leave."

If Satomi-sensei was hiding something from him, he didn't show it. "Please don't let it bother you, Hikaru-kun. As I've mentioned previously, the matter has been settled." The psychiatrist smiled reassuringly and asked another question. "What about your hobby, don't you have any other interest besides Go?"

Hikaru looked thoughtful for a while, wondering of the last time he enjoyed anything other than Go. "Hmm, nope, I think. I was a little bit crazy about soccer when I was in elementary school, but a few circumstances allowed me to learn about Go and made me fall in love with the game. I never stop playing it ever since."

"Circumstances? Can you explain the situation a bit?" The man jolted down a quick note on his clipboard, seeming interested to know how the kid learned to play Go.

There was no way he would ever tell them about Sai, so he picked his words carefully. "Err, there's not much to tell. It started when I stumbled upon a goban in my grandfather's attic. At first I didn't really care about the old man's game, but finally it managed to pick my interest. I did enroll in a Go class shortly, met a few players here and there, played online Go, joined the school club and tournaments. Then I became an Insei and the rest is history."

Then Hikaru realized that he just blurted something he wasn't supposed to mention and blinked his eyes nervously at his blunder. _'Oops! Sai was the one playing in the Net. Hope he wouldn't ask about my username...'_

The therapist noticed that Hikaru was a little bit elusive in his story, like there was something he didn't want to share with other people. He didn't want to press the issue, so he changed their topic. "If it is possible, do you still remember the incident that caused you to collapse?"

"I told you I was playing Go in my room. When I stood up, about to leave it, there was this bright light surrounding me and I didn't know what happened after that," Hikaru answered truthfully, he just skipped the part about looking for his missing opponent, Sai.

"Hikaru-kun, can you tell me the date of the incident?" The psychiatrist asked the question carefully. A lot of coma patients couldn't recall what had happened to them after they were conscious, since memory was the slowest part to recover from a brain injury. In fact, certain questions could trigger their trauma, causing them to relapse. Hikaru, on the other hand, was totally alert and seemed to remember a lot of things related to him.

Including things that never happened in the first place.

"May 5th. I just got back from a Go seminar."

Satomi-sensei looked thoughtful for a second at his short answer, making some notes on his record. "You said you were playing Go before the incident happened. How long have you been playing the game, and who was your opponent at that time?"

Hikaru was feeling a little bit annoyed at the incessant questions. He remembered clearly telling almost similar things yesterday, though he was assured that it was a normal assessment for patients who had survived head injury. "I've played the game for about two years, since I was twelve. I was playing alone at that time. Haven't my family members told you all about it previously?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get you agitated or emotionally disturbed. It's just routines to ensure that proper diagnosis can be done on every patient's case." The psychiatrist bent down, taking something out of his briefcase and put in on the table. Despite his physically weak condition, the boy almost greedily grabbed the magnetic Go set, his accumulated stress gone in a second at such dazzling view. A game, he was going to play a game!

"You sure you can play, Satomi-sensei? You're forgiven!"

The man chuckled at the boy's enthusiasm, though he was observing the young teenager calculatingly. Hikaru's grandfather had told him that while he himself had played Go, Hikaru was never given any exposure. His grandson was a bratty-half-pint who loved soccer more than anything else. To learn that Hikaru had claimed to know the game and even got an official shodan rank was something beyond belief.

He helped Hikaru to spread the 19x19 grid metal board, and carefully opened the plastic bowls for the white and black stones. "Hey, please don't look down on me. I might not look like much, but I used to win one or two amateur tournaments previously." He threw a good-natured challenging look at Hikaru. "We'll play an even game with komi."

"Oh really? You don't want to put a stone or two, sensei?" Hikaru grinned cheekily, waiting for the doctor to nigiri. He watched calmly as Satomi-sensei grabbed a handful of white stones from the bowl. Guessing the number of stones as even, Hikaru put two black stones on the goban.

Not the least bit offended by Hikaru's teasing, the doctor responded in a friendly manner. "Hmm, let's see who really needs handicap after we play." He placed the white stones in his hand on the board, arranging them in pairs so it was easy for both of them to count the exact figure.

It was even. "Ten. You're going first, Hikaru-kun."

"Alright, sensei. Onegaishimasu." The boy bowed slightly towards the doctor, who returned the formal greeting. He proceeded to take a black stone from the bowl between his index and middle finger, aiming to place it on one of the line intersections in the upper right corner. The sudden foreign feeling of holding an object between nail and fingertip had forced the magnetic stone out of his hand, causing it to clatter clumsily on the goban. It fell on one of the squares with a firm clicking sound.

Hikaru looked at his right hand disbelievingly, thinking that it was impossible to lose the muscle memory of his well-trained fingers in just a few days of coma. It was as if he had never held a Go stone in all of his life. Then he noticed that the nail on his index finger, which should be worn from placing thousands of Go stones, was as smooth as before he had learned the game.

Satomi-sensei studied his patient's reaction with clinical precision, before gently breaking Hikaru out of his shock. "Hikaru-kun, are you alright? Please look at me."

The teenager refused to acknowledge his instruction, instead he kept staring at his hand like it was a curse. The doctor easily picked the misplaced stone from the goban and cautiously offered it to Hikaru. "It's fine, Hikaru-kun. Holding a Go stone requires fine motor skills. It's not unusual for someone who had suffered head injury to forget how to do daily things. You're doing fine with your rehabilitation. I'm sure you'll regain your physical strength in no time."

Ignoring the offered stone, Hikaru thrust his right hand at the doctor. His words were shaky and full with confused, repressed anger. "Here. There should be callus on my fingers, and my nail should be worn. I've played hundreds of games previously. There's no way they are missing just like that!"

His shout might have upset his mother and grandfather for they suddenly burst into the room. They looked worriedly at Hikaru and Satomi-sensei for a few seconds, before shifting their attention to the goban on the table. Mitsuko immediately blanched at the sight, but Heihachi grasped her daughter-in-law's arm and whispered in her ear, "He deserves to know, Mitsuko. Let the situation decide itself."

The psychiatrist calmly stood up and returned the black stone into the bowl. He shared a look with Hikaru's grandfather, who nodded at him. Hikaru's mother tried to approach his son, only to stop at his sudden outburst.

"I hate that look! I've had enough of you people hiding things from me! Just please, please tell me everything..." He begged in a resigned voice, wishing that Sai was there to help him cope with his misery. They were so many things he wanted to know, like where Sai had gone to, why he fell into coma in the first place when he wasn't actually involved in any accident. And most importantly, what did they mean by saying that he had suffered brain injury that might lead to memory impairment when he clearly remembered everything that happened to him since he was four years old?

Shindo Heihachi sighed, looking at his grandson with mixed feelings. Then they were movements everywhere. Satomi-sensei gave the elderly man a polite gesture towards Hikaru's bed, while her daughter-in-law started to push Hikaru's wheelchair and the drip stand away from the table. After the doctor adjusted the head of the bed into 60 degrees Fowler's position, they helped to put the disoriented Hikaru on the hospital bed. "Easy, child. Let's hope you can handle the truth," the old man grunted softly at the boy.

Somehow, his mum's tender stroke on his temples didn't really alleviate the growing uneasiness he was feeling at the moment.

"Hikaru-kun," Satomi-sensei said his name firmly, causing him to switch his attention toward the left side of his bed, meeting the man's eyes. "Did you know how long you've been in coma?"

The boy made a weird face, as if puzzled by the question. "Uh, I'm not really sure myself. Perhaps for a few days?" He didn't realize that his mother was holding her breath while his grandfather became rigid, waiting for the doctor to deliver the final blow that might shatter his belief and sanity.

"Hikaru-kun, you had been in coma for two years and half, since you were eleven years old. On May 5th, you woke up for the first time as a fourteen-year-old boy."

**To be continued…**

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><p>I made up the psychiatrist part. I was never hospitalized all my life and I was even born at home. Let's hope it continues that way. :)<p>

I changed the place where Hikaru found the goban from shed to attic. I haven't watched the anime yet, so I'll be using the manga version for my reference after this. Is it even possible to make an attic as a shed?

And I just realized that Hikaru should already be in his third year, so I've corrected that part as well.

Reviews and insights are very much appreciated. Ja ne!


	2. Chapter 1

Unbetaed, so I'd like to apologize in advance for any grammatical errors you might find in this fic. This should be the last note I'll make regarding the matter.

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><p><strong>Path of Light by Shinreizen<strong>

**Chapter 1**

**o…oOOo…o**

The room fell into absolute silence. Nobody moved, nobody said anything. They just stared at the boy with strange expression, dreading how such revelation could shake the foundation of his existence.

It took a while for Hikaru to process the mind-blowing statement. There was a startled gasp, followed by a nervous laughter. His body, frail for his age shook uncontrollably in slight tremors. "Heh heh heh. You must be kidding, right?" He had a wild and unfocused look to him that put them on alert, warning them of his recent panic attack. "You mean I did nothing but slept for the whole two and a half years? That was the most absurd thing I've ever heard in my life!"

The people around him wisely kept their silent, allowing him to absorb the truth he so wanted to hear.

Hikaru grabbed his mouth with his hand, the hand that 'betrayed' him, suddenly feeling sick as if he had inhabited a wrong body. He was a short-tempered kid who met a ghost from Heian period that taught him how to play Go, not some invalid who practically lived his life on the hospital bed. Together they met many friends, rivals and opponents in their search for the divine move. Then Sai disappeared, and he woke up only to find out that all of his precious memories were just dreams.

Sai was real, not just a figment of his imagination. But if Sai was real, why shouldn't he be out there, playing Sai's game to his heart's content, continuing his legacy? Why was he hospitalized instead, going through all the therapies just to make sure he can walk and lead a normal life again?

"It couldn't be!" He whispered brokenly, giving the doctor and his family an accusing look, blaming them for his despair and self-doubt. "No, this is impossible!" When his mother tried to touch his shoulder, he flinched and jerked away, not noticing how his rejection had upset her. His abrupt movement had caused him to take an accidental glimpse at his hand, realizing that it was actually a little bit smaller than he was getting used to. And so was his physical built.

Even his own body went against him. It's like the entire world was laughing at him, mocking him at his twisted reality.

He felt the need to lash out at somebody, to find an outlet for his confusion and sorrow. His troubled eyes found a target for his frustration. "Don't you have anything else to ask or tell me, Satomi-sensei?" He said jeeringly. "Did you have fun listening to my story? Do you think I'm crazy right now?"

"Hikaru…," Mitsuko said softly. She had never seen her son being this lost and vulnerable. Even when Hikaru was unconscious, surrounded by tubes and medical equipment, he simply looked like he had been sleeping the whole time. However, growing up in bed had staunched his growth spurt. Kids his age should have already hit puberty, but Hikaru looked like he was twelve. Still, since Hikaru was recovering nicely, his physician had assured her that he would catch up at his own pace.

However, it was his mental state they were worrying right now, though Hikaru's reactions turned out better than they thought. In a somewhat risky plan, Satomi-sensei had staged a psychological game to make Hikaru realized on his own that his reality was different from what he mentally assumed. While she barely knew anything about Go, his father-in-law had explained to her that it was natural for Go players to assess their opponents from the way they handled the stones. If Hikaru truly knew how to play Go as he claimed, he should have detected his own weakness.

It led to another amazing discovery. Hikaru had proven that he had some knowledge of Go.

The doctor regarded his patient steadily. As a psychiatrist, he specialized in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health. He knew that pity was the last thing Hikaru needed at the moment. The boy required persistent emotional support to deal with his condition, together with love and trust. Hikaru might have issues, but he wasn't mentally ill. "Yes, Hikaru-kun. In fact, there's another thing I would like to ask from you, but not right now. I would need your cooperation and permission for that to work."

He could see the boy's antagonistic behavior toned down at his calm reply as it was replaced by curiosity, before self-denial kicked back in. Satomi-sensei hid his smile, understanding his inner struggle. "For your second question, your story was truly fascinating. I believe that is where the source of your strength to survive comes from…" There was a pause before he continued, "It's a precious part of your life, so please treasure it, Hikaru-kun."

Hikaru blinked numbly, a little taken aback at the sincerity in the doctor's words. He turned to his right to see his mother smiling sweetly at him, nodding briskly at the comment. His grandfather raised his brow and said, "Well, you had more than two years to spend in your sleep." The old man scratched his cheek, looking thoughtful. "Your soul must have wondered somewhere, meeting kindred souls, making promises... doing stuff like that."

Just like an arrow, his grandfather's innocent words struck deep inside his heart.

Eyes widened in shock, the boy instantly grabbed the side rail of his bed for support as slowly, the truth started to sink in. He remembered drifting in and out of sleep after waking up, realizing that besides his immediate family, nobody came to see him, except Akari and her mother. Unfortunately, he was sleeping at that time and was only told of their visit later. If his colleagues knew of his situation, they would at least ask about him, right? But no, nobody cared, for to them, he didn't exist. Even to Toya Akira, his supposed rival.

It left a bitter taste in his mouth.

His grip tightened, and droplets of angry tears fell on his cheeks. "Leave me alone," he whispered miserably. He needed to sort his thoughts, but he didn't want to do it in the company of others. His grandfather stared at him for a moment, before moving toward the door. His mother gave a gentle pat on his shoulder. "We'll come again tomorrow, Hikaru." Without waiting for his reply, she too left him.

"Let me help to lower your bed. You need to rest up properly too, Hikaru-kun. Don't forget to use the buzzer if you require assistance." Satomi-sensei said in his ever calming voice. "And as for your third question, no, I don't think so."

A few minutes later, he was all alone in the small single unit, reflecting the tragedy in his solitude.

**ooo…ooOOoo…ooo**

He didn't know why, but Hikaru opened his eyes to notice that he was trapped in a shrouding mist. Small stars were blinking unnaturally around him, their glow penetrating the bluish surrounding. Wondering how he could have ended up in such a strange place, he looked down to see that he was standing somewhat firmly on the groundless space.

"Huh, shoes? Since when I can stand on my own?" He took stock around him again, amazed at the dreamlike ambiances of the place. He ended up looking at his hands, appreciating the familiar Go hand. "Oh, this is a dream. I can sometimes tell when I'm dreaming." Giggling at his observation, he then said in a melancholic expression, "Haha, if it's a dream, it would be nice if something good happens… in this dream…"

There was a slight movement to his right, causing Hikaru to turn toward the presence. He gasped inadvertently at the sight that greeted him.

Sai was standing in front of him in his majestic glory, his white robe and strayed black-purple hair swayed gently in motion of the pleasant wind suddenly breezing past them. He was wearing his usual pristine clothes from the Heian period, looking all regal and magnificent despite the lack of any footwear. A slight smile formed on his handsome face.

"Sai," he exclaimed happily. "You came to me in my dream!" His teacher didn't give any reply, but Hikaru was so excited at meeting Sai again that he started to rant relentlessly. "I woke up in a hospital after you left. They said I was actually in coma the entire time we were together, and they did a few assessments on me to see if I were of sound mind or not. It made me angry. How dare of them to insinuate things they could never explain! You're real! Our Go is real!"

The boy balled his hands into fists, remembering his session with Satomi-sensei that led to the discovery of his alternate reality. "I didn't want to believe them in the beginning, but I couldn't even hold a Go stone properly earlier today." Sai's expression barely changed at the distress his disciple was showing. He simply watched Hikaru's various reactions, listening assiduously to his complains.

"So much had happened since you disappeared… there's so much I want to tell you." Hikaru searched his mentor's purple eyes imploringly, waiting for the long delayed explanation of his disappearance. Getting none, Hikaru became agitated and started shouting, "Sai, why did you disappear? You said you wanted to play forever! Why did you disappear? I don't understand!"

Nevertheless, the Go master just continued his staring contest with the boy.

"Sai, is this my punishment for ignoring your warning, pushing you to the back for my own selfish desire to play the game?" Hikaru asked wretchedly. "Come back, Sai. Just come back to me. I promise I'll let you play all the games! As much as you want! Sai…" The boy's humble begging did nothing to the young man's elegant composure. But there must be something in Hikaru's words that touched him for Sai unexpectedly gave him an earnest smile.

Feeling encouraged by the response, Hikaru became more animated. "You can play hundreds and thousands of games with lots of Go players all around the world. We can even arrange another match with Toya Koyo! He would be delighted to play you again." Hope and happiness was evident in Hikaru's exuberant manner. "Even Ogata Judan and Toya Akira would love to play you. You'll come back, right, Sai?"

Hikaru was used to not receiving any reply from his mentor, attributing it to being in a dream, so he decided to proceed with his monologue. "How did you feel when you disappeared? Were you sad, or were you smiling, like you are now? I hope you were smiling…" Then he remembered something and said cheerily, "Oh, Sai, they said I would walk again, they said I'll be able to go to school again. For that, I have to go through a rehabilitation program. Soon, I'll go home…huh?" He stopped abruptly when he realized that Sai wasn't paying attention to his story.

Sai turned his head and looked at something faraway, as if someone was reminding him that his time was running out and he had to cut their meeting short.

"Sai," Hikaru said, suddenly having a bad premonition when the Go master didn't acknowledge his call. "Sai!" He called his name louder, but still he was ignored. Rays of light shone through the starry blue sky, illuminating Sai's face. "Don't go! Say something! Don't disappear! Sai!" He started to shout frantically.

The man unfolded his hands and gracefully passed his yellow fan with the black handle to Hikaru, his expression was worth a thousand words. Their eyes met solemnly for a while, and Hikaru finally understood what Sai wanted him to do. He didn't want Sai to leave, but Sai was entrusting him a responsibility only he could shoulder. "Sai…" Slowly, his hand reached out on his own to receive the precious gift from his mentor.

As soon as he took the fan, everything turned black.

"Sai…" He opened his eyes again this time to stare at the white ceiling of his hospital room. Stunned at the significant meaning of his dream, he knew that starting from now, the present was his reality. He covered his eyes with his wrist, allowing the silent goodbye tears for Sai.

**ooo…ooOOoo…ooo**

"Somewhere in December 1998, we went to the attic together looking for something, and we found this old haunted goban. You said it got bloodstain on it, but I was pretty sure I didn't see anything," Fujisaki Akari frowned, trying hard to recall the details in an incident that happened a few years ago. "I was a little bit freaked out by the place, but you insisted to go there…"

Hikaru was currently sitting on his bed, surrounded by visitors, Satomi-sensei and a nurse. He had expressed his intention to know the whole story that caused his hospitalization to the doctor, who had informed his family members of his request. His mother and grandfather took it upon themselves to contact Akari's parents, who gave permission to pick up Akari from school and brought her with them to the hospital.

They exchanged an uncomfortable greeting, mostly from Akari's side. He had no problem talking to her for he was accustomed to their friendship in the last two and a half years of 'dreams', but she was clearly startled by the familiar way he responded to her. He solved the situation by riling her up, quickly diffusing the awkwardness and got her to tell the story.

"Yeah, I remember saying something like that," he said, amused at the terrified face Akari made at that time. He would never forget the stain on the goban since it was where he met Sai. What he really needed to know was how the reality diverged from his own experience. "What happened next?"

Akari bit her lip nervously, afraid she might worsen Hikaru's condition with another disclosure. His family had updated her with Hikaru's progress on their way there. Satomi-sensei decided to help. "No worries there, Fujisaki-san. Hikaru-kun is my special patient, he is strong enough to take whatever it is you're telling him."

The spontaneous remark made Hikaru flushed a bit, but he nodded at the girl to continue. "It's fine, Akari. I heard a voice, right? Did you hear it too?" He asked only for the sake of asking, already guessing Akari's answer. His mother and grandfather listened thoughtfully to their conversation.

"Huh, voice? What were you talking about? No, I didn't hear anything at that time, but I was too scared with your claim of the bloodstain to care. I left you with the goban and sat on the wooden staircase, waiting for you," she said. "Then I heard a loud crash, and when I looked up, you were lying down in a pool of blood." The girl shivered at the memory. "It seemed that you might have slipped your footing and bumped your skull on the sharp edge of the goban. Your blood was on it."

He looked at her in surprise, remembering that he had fainted after watching Sai emerged from the antique goban. His grandfather had called an ambulance and he was sent to the hospital afterward. If he had injured himself from the fall, it should have been from the shock of seeing the Go ghost. But Akari said he didn't mention anything about voice. So that was where the story deviated. The Go master should have clarified something in his dream last night.

Hikaru wanted to ask more about the lack of voice, only he didn't want to answer a lot of questions from Satomi-sensei again. "I might be mistaken about the voice then. Hm, so that's what happened huh?" He said, ignoring the look on everyone's face at his casual treatment of the news.

"It's not as simple as it sounds, kid," Shindo Hehaichi admonished, not satisfied at Hikaru's careless respond. He was glad that his grandson had gotten his old character back, though it was quite unnerving to see his transformation in one night. He wondered at what had caused such change. "There were quite a lot of things scattered on the floorboards. You tripped on one of them, bumped into a few things and finally hit the goban. You were unconscious and unresponsive, and didn't wake up even after the surgical treatment."

'_Wow, it was certainly quite scary.'_ Absently, his fingers touched the right side of his head. No wonder the front of his hair lost its blond dye. They must have shaved all hair on his head previously to help with the medical operation. He turned toward Satomi-sensei for further explanation.

The psychiatrist didn't disappoint. "I'm not a neurosurgeon, but I will try to summarize your case in a more layman term. It's called traumatic brain injury. The strong blows from the fall had caused a closed head injury on your head. It didn't penetrate your skull, but could still lead to complications such as brain swelling and intracranial pressure." He understood the stare everyone was giving, and pointed his index finger at his own head. "Brain swelling is usually caused by fluid collecting in the brain, causing brain tissue to swell from trauma to the head, while intracranial pressure refers to pressure that occurs within the cranium that might cause irreversible damage to the brain cells."

"Urgh, it's enough, sensei. My head already hurts from all the jargon," the boy said, grinning at the doctor. Even his visitors smiled at his befuddled look, for they also felt the same. The nurse wasn't really involved in their discussion, busying herself with her job, but she still turned around and beamed at Hikaru's funny comment.

"Do you know what made you special, Hikaru-kun?" The doctor asked. "You were protected from secondary infections such as pneumonia during your comatose state. After you regained consciousness, your physical body is totally weak but very cooperative to stimuli, and your brain activity is excellent. Besides a little extra memory, you're perfectly normal. Like Takeda-sensei had mentioned, it was a miracle."

Everyone in the room showed a relieved expression at the statement. Mitsuko rubbed his head affectionately while Hikaru pretended to hate the touch. Akari and his grandfather chuckled at his reaction. "Yes, a miracle indeed. You don't know how many days we waited near your bed, hoping that you would open your eyes and look at us. Even after you were conscious, you often went back into sleep. It gave us a fright every single time, afraid that you won't wake up again…"

"Mum…" Now he was feeling a little bit guilty, but his mother just smiled at him. Returning the smile, he relished the thought of being able to walk again, doing a lot of stuff he had been missing. Suddenly, he remembered what the doctor had told him yesterday. "You said you need to ask me about something. What is it?"

"Based on your progress, you'll be leaving the hospital soon. However, I'd like to have my final assessment on you. A game. I request a game from you, if you would have me as your opponent," Satomi-sensei said. "It would help greatly in my diagnosis."

Hikaru closed his eyes, recalling Sai's mission of a thousand years. A determined whisper broke the silence. "I'd love to, sensei."

Straining his ears, Shindo Heihachi focused on the doctor's next words. It was quite interesting to know that there would be a game between his grandson, who he believed had never played Go before and a doctor, who was currently treating him. "That would be great, Hikaru-kun. I'd set it in two days from now - that should be on Friday at the usual appointed time." Motioning toward the table, Satomi-sensei said pleasantly. "You might want to use the Go set to train your fingers."

"Yeah, thanks, sensei."

His mother took his hand in hers, alerting him that the visiting hour would end shortly. "Son, we are going home soon. You take care. Don't forget to eat your food and take your medication, alright?" The boy made a face at the motherly concern. "I know. Like I was given a choice in the matter," he grumbled, and the room was filled with peals of warm laughter that soothed his troubled heart.

**ooo…ooOOoo…ooo**

They played an even game with 5.5 komi, with Satomi-sensei playing black and Hikaru playing white.

Satomi Kenichi had started the game in his usual fuseki, while at the same time observing Hikaru with interest. He had told the boy to hold the stone like a beginner when he noticed Hikaru was still having difficulty to hold it properly. His patient had felt offended at his suggestion, however after a few failed attempts had conceded to his advice. He had high hopes at first, eager to see how the game would turn up.

In the early transition from opening to middle game, he was disappointed. Hikaru seemed to be lost in his thoughts, and often he would place the stone with an uncomfortable grimace on his face, as if it wasn't really the exact point he had in mind. Later he recognized the solid moves in the boy's sequences of play as an influence from Shusaku, and the desire to play his best overruled his initial plan to test Hikaru's skills in the game.

Meanwhile, Hikaru was having an inner battle of indecisiveness. It was not because he forgot his own style of playing, it's simply because he had gained more perspectives on various moves that they had distorted his judgments. His intuitions had also broadened and he could read the board better than before. That sudden ability had thrown him overboard before he regained his bearing. Somehow, he could feel Sai in this game, guiding his every move.

'_It's really strange. I don't seem to have any difficulty reading this game at all. Perhaps because my Go is also at a pro level in this world. Ha, now I'm thinking like I've actually ended up in a parallel universe or something.'_

Ignoring five dead stones at the upper left corner he set up as bait previously, he slowly laid his traps on hidden critical points on the board. Satomi-sensei might have killed a group of his stones, but that didn't hinder his main formation. And unless his opponent could read further than him, he was safe at the moment.

He had to give credit to the doctor when black didn't immediately take the bait, instead he separated Hikaru's stones at the right side of the board by occupying a point adjacent to them. White defended the connection by making a new chain. Black wouldn't give in either as each side proceeded to strengthen their territorial framework with strategic connection of their stones.

The game had entered yose. In order to provide better tactical liberties for black, Satomi-sensei finally took the bait by capturing the white stones at the upper left corner.

Carefully, Hikaru picked a white stone from the bowl between his thumb and index finger and placed it on the board. Another move from white would make a solid connection that would join his previously cut stones so that there wouldn't be any gap between them. Black had wasted a movement by taking the bait, and it allowed white to establish his dominance on the board. His opponent could still try to cut the formation, but he wouldn't be able to enforce it for long. White had already won the game.

Satomi-sensei studied the board in front of him, he couldn't believe what he was seeing just now. He had been fooled by Hikaru's weird placement of stones, only to realize that the useless movements had become the key points in connecting white stones and destroyed a large portion of black stones diagonally, from the upper-right corner stretching into the middle left of the board. He was shaken at the number of moku he would lose if he continued the game.

There was nothing he could do but resign. "Arimasen." His head was still shaking in disbelief at the brilliant play he just witnessed. It was a slaughter.

"That was a good game, sensei," Hikaru said happily, unaware that his doctor was staring at him in amazement. "Here. Black would have more advantages should you focus on this side. It seemed you didn't notice the moyo I've been setting up slowly. The territorial framework for white wouldn't have been so strong if you weren't so fixed on the ko threats at the other corner. Consequently, it became white territory."

The psychiatrist traced the path where black should have created a better connection. He nodded at the commentary, realizing his mistakes. "Yes, it certainly looked that way. You're really a strong player, Hikaru-kun. Are you sure you just play the game for a little over two years?"

"Huh?" The boy gave a mischievous grin to the doctor. "Yeah, and I learned it while sleeping too. Awesome, right?"

"Ah, don't be cocky. Do you mind if I show this game to an acquaintance of mine? I'm sure he would be interested to discuss it."

"No, I don't mind. Go ahead, sensei."

"It's settled then. Thank you for the game." Satomi-sensei paused at the door. "Have you considered turning pro, Hikaru-kun?"

Hikaru calmly pondered his answer. "Later, maybe. I don't think I'm ready to show myself to the world right now."

**ooo…ooOOoo…ooo**

"Hikaru is leaving the inpatient ward tomorrow, right, sensei? I would like to know your diagnosis regarding my son."

"Your son is in excellent condition, Shindo-san. He doesn't show any symptoms of post traumatic amnesia. People emerging from coma might suffer from disorientation and short-term memory loss, behave unusually or reject social conventions as part of the healing process," Satomi-sensei started, opening Hikaru's medical file his nurse had placed on his table earlier. "Hikaru, however, is normal. He has no trouble speaking his mind at all. He has passed all assessments except for the additional memory of his two and a half years."

"You mean, like a made-up memory?" Heihachi asked, still concerned for Hikaru's mental health.

The psychiatrist flipped at a marked page and read the testimonial silently. "Hm, he's neither having delusions like schizophrenia, nor hallucination. In Hikaru's case, he not only wakes up knowing how to play Go, he even masters the game at a professional level. Besides suddenly acquiring the skill, he also has full chronology of how he learns the game."

Mitsuko and Heihachi exchanged contemplative looks between them. "Is there any medical explanation for his situation, sensei? My son had never touched a Go board before. It's quite disconcerting to know that he suddenly possesses such great skill after waking up from coma…"

"There were reported cases of brain injury survivors gaining prodigious level of mastery over skills they never had any interest before, like suddenly able to solve complex calculus problem while the patient previously failed elementary level arithmetic. We call it acquired savant syndrome or accidental genius," the doctor said, his mind went back to the game they had yesterday, still in awe at the boy's beautiful, yet merciless Go.

"Hikaru could be one of them."

**ooo…ooOOoo…ooo**

It was a beautiful Sunday morning. After being confined for a week for his inpatient rehabilitation, he was ecstatic to return home and see the outside world. Since he would have to rely on a wheelchair until he was strong enough to walk on his own, his family had been advised to let him recuperate in a more accommodating environment. For the time being, he would be staying at his grandfather's home.

The old man had already booked him for a few games.

From his passenger seat, Shindo Hikaru took delight in watching the passing scenery, recalling the kind doctor's words before he left the hospital. Satomi-sensei had given him the magnetic Go set as a present, with the promise that given the chance, they would play each other again. When asked if it was possible for him to suddenly forget his Go, the doctor replied in a mysterious way.

'_The brain is the most complex organ of the human body. It's a great wonder. The crazy journeys the human minds take… how do we know all of them?'_

**To be continued…**

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><p>Thank you for all the reviews, alerts and favs I've received, you people are so kind, though I'm sorry I couldn't give a proper reply to the guests' reviews.<p>

I practically took the dream sequence straight from the manga and anime, with some alteration. It was the toughest part to write in this chapter, but it's required for the story to move on.

Satomi Kenichi is the genius doctor in the wonderful J-Drama called Satorare. I borrow his name as the psychiatrist in Path of Light. He's a side character that is needed for Hikaru's development in the two chapters.

Hikaru has left the hospital, yay! As usual, reviews and insights are very much appreciated. Ja ne!


	3. Chapter 2

I will often update the chapter contents whenever I notice any glaring mistakes that might affect the progress of this story. For example, in the prologue, Hikaru was supposed to be a third year student in junior high, not a second year. I've corrected that part.

* * *

><p><strong>Path of Light by Shinreizen<strong>

**Chapter 2**

**o…oOOo…o**

Shindo Heihachi eyed his grandson grudgingly as they put the Go stones back into the respective bowls. They had been playing Go like two obsessive maniacs since Hikaru was released from the hospital a few days ago, and he had never won against the boy. Hikaru looked up from the now empty surface of the goban and gave him a somewhat guilty smile. "Heh, you always give me that look every time you lose to me."

The old man didn't deny it. "I was once a regional Go champion, so forgive me if I find it difficult to believe that my grandson could thrash me like I was some beginner."

"But you're still at amateur level while I am already at a professional level. Big difference, gramp!" the boy said jokingly. He loved teasing his grandfather simply because he enjoyed the old man's reaction. Not even a week ago, the veteran had enthusiastically displayed all of his Go winning prizes to Hikaru as a proof that he wasn't all talk when Hikaru expressed his doubt at his grandfather's skill level.

In the early days of his dreams, his grandfather had stopped their game midway and told Hikaru in a disappointed manner to play him again after six months because the kid took such a long time just to place a stone on the board. Struggling to follow Sai's instruction, he didn't know the basics of the game yet at that point but dared enough to challenge the old man for some money. Ironically, in the present time, that same old man couldn't even wait a day to play Hikaru after they reached home, where the thrashing began.

"Professional level? Possibly, but an untested one," Heihachi retorted, though he couldn't really hide the prideful thought of Hikaru becoming a professional. Given that the boy really showed great talent in the game, starting a career at such a young age didn't sound that bad. "You sure didn't pull any punches, huh?" The old man complained to his grandson, referring to the merciless way Hikaru had trounced him.

He shuddered at the thoughts of the boy playing kids his age, afraid that Hikaru might crush someone's hope and aspiration with his unpredictable yet deadly moves. In fact, he was quite impressed with the boy that after several losses, he had played their game expecting to lose while harboring secret desire to see how Hikaru would defeat him again. It was a big mistake to keep demanding an even game from the boy. At his request, Hikaru had recreated the first game he played against the psychiatrist and he should have known that the boy was way beyond their level.

Hikaru smiled slightly at the remark, carefully shifting his wheelchair to admire the outside scenery from the veranda. "That's because you're so stubborn, gramp. I told you that you need to put at least five stones to let us play an even match. Yet you insisted that I play with all my might..."

He knew that Hikaru wasn't trying to insult him, that boy was merely stating a fact. "Well, maybe you should start playing teaching games with me from now on," the old man replied sheepishly. He got up from his chair, covering the goke with the lids and placed them on top of the goban. As per routine, he would help Hikaru with some of his exercises. He was barely walking inside to get the yoga mat and light resistance band for the boy when Hikaru said something that froze his step.

"Grandpa, please let me see the goban."

It was the same request again. The first time Hikaru asked him for the haunted goban, he had refused adamantly, saying that he didn't want the tragedy to repeat. Hikaru had argued that his coma was due to his fall, not because of the harmless goban. Ignoring his pleas, the old man said that his late brother had acquired the kaya goban from an antique shop. According to the rumors, a ghost with tall hat was trapped in it. Ridiculous as it might sound, there was risk of Hikaru's weak body being possessed by the supernatural entity, something they totally didn't need right now.

While Hikaru was quietly listening to his explanation, little did he know that the boy was fervently hoping for another chance encounter with the ghost.

A few days later, he had simply assumed that his grandson had dropped the subject, but he was wrong. Slowly turning toward Hikaru, the old man asked grimly, "That thing brings nothing but trouble to us. Why did you want to see it so badly?"

There was a brief silent, followed by a soft answer. "It's hard to explain, but I don't think I can move on if I didn't see it for myself." Hikaru stared at him, asking for his understanding yet hiding a lot of things behind his indecipherable expression. "Please."

'_It's calling for me. I knew it_.'

Shindo Heihachi returned the stare, surprised at the determination and desperation he found in those eyes. He could only hope that whatever conflict the boy was having would be sorted out by fulfilling his wish.

"Fine. Wait here while I get it for you."

**ooo…ooOOoo…ooo**

Sitting still patiently was certainly not one of Hikaru's virtues. Two minutes after his grandfather left him at the veranda, he was already feeling restless. Even a flock of birds chirping happily in the trees near him couldn't really calm the anxiety that was building up in his stomach.

Distraction, he needed some distraction.

Hikaru took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. Grabbing both sides of the armrests, he tried to straighten his right knee as much as possible assisted by his left leg. He gritted his teeth, ignoring the strain coming from such simple movement. His physiotherapist had told him that he was still growing and his muscles didn't really atrophy that much. As long as he had the resolve to recover, nothing should hinder his efforts.

Bending his knees, he rested both of his feet on the footplates of the wheelchair. Then he repeated the process and only switched to straighten his left leg after he successfully reached ten counts. The exercise should help strengthening the muscles at the front and back of his thighs, as well as maintaining range in his knees. Beads of sweat started to form on his body, but Hikaru waited until he was finished before wiping them off with the small towel hanging over his neck. Pleasant wind was blowing lightly around the area, cooling his heated skin.

Somehow, the uneasiness he was feeling had gone with the passing breeze.

Looking up into the blue sky, Hikaru was amused at a mass of cloud that suspiciously looked like some artfully arranged salmon sashimi. That thought made him feel a little bit hungry. Idly staring at the picturesque view in front of him, he wondered how long he would have to wait before he would be allowed to eat his favorite meals, junk food included. The day was turning evening and his grandmother should be back from the store soon to prepare their dinner.

The boy abruptly turned at the sound of footsteps and saw the old man carrying a plywood storage box in his arms. Such unexplainable, strange need to see the goban made his heart beat faster. "What took you so long?" he asked curiously, watching as his grandfather cautiously put the box on the wooden floor.

Heihachi didn't immediately answer the question, instead he gently rubbed his back and grunted in relief when the crick disappeared. The old man gave Hikaru a rather annoyed look and said, "Well, nobody had touched this box and its content for more than two years. It was covered in dust." Moving the existing goban from the table to the floor with surprisingly clean hands, he motioned his head toward the box. "Of course, I need to do some cleaning before I bring it here."

The boy blinked stupidly at the reply. "Oh, sure." Gingerly, he propelled the wheelchair to face the table as his grandfather took the kaya goban from the box and placed it in front of him.

"Here you go."

His heart almost stopped as a crushing wave of disappointment struck him. The rusty-colored, visible stain on the board didn't belong to Shusaku.

"Impossible," he whispered to himself, eyes widened in disbelief. Prior to Sai's disappearance, he remembered about the stain getting lighter. However, if what he had experienced in coma was simply a dream, shouldn't the board still retain whoever's blood on it? Akari was his witness, for she admitted that she didn't see anything when Hikaru told her about the bloodstain. Since he was totally confident that his eyes didn't deceive him at that time, where did the stain go now?

He shook his head, refusing to accept the ludicrousness of the situation. Even if they managed to cleanse most of his blood after he got into the accident, it should be an impossible task to completely remove an old, embedded bloodstain that nobody but only Hikaru could see. Oblivious to the fact that his grandfather was watching him apprehensively, Hikaru kept staring at the goban, hand reaching out yet hesitant to touch its polished surface. "The bloodstain, it's gone."

Blissfully misinterpreting Hikaru's remark, his grandfather spoke quietly. "Hm… we had to use mineral spirit to get rid of your blood from it, though some still managed to be absorbed by the board." Hikaru raised his face, clearly startled at the unexpected response. That didn't stop his inquisitive nature from taking over. "Mineral spirit?"

"Oh, it's just the petroleum-derived solvent I usually use to remove paint residue from the paint brushes," the old man said offhandedly. "It works like a charm on stained wood too." Nodding his head at the explanation, Hikaru returned his attention to the board and watched in fascination as he felt the silent call again, urging him to touch the goban.

As soon as his palm met with the smooth surface of the board, glimpses of memories suddenly assaulted him.

He saw Sai, dressed in his usual attire playing Go with a noble in an imperial court. A pair of silky curtains was pulled apart to reveal a hallowed figure sitting on his throne, studying the game intently. A few other aristocrats in almost similar outfits watched their game with avid interest.

Sai would play a lot of games, and his happiness was clearly projected through every single game he played.

The scene shifted to a mean-looking aristocrat approaching the throne placed on the dais with a less than honorable intention, suggesting that their Emperor didn't need two Go instructors at the same time. Therefore, a game would decide who should keep the position. The loser would be evicted from the court. Sai, determined to prove his worth, was left with no choice but to accept the challenge.

Both Go masters played a balance, intricately beautiful game. Then by chance, Sai saw a single white stone mixed with black in his opponent's goke. Instead of returning the misplaced stone to Sai, the unethical instructor put the white stone together with his prisoners in the lid. Afraid that his misconduct would be exposed, the instructor quickly accused Sai of cheating. The Emperor refused to believe that any of his instructors would commit such grave offence in his presence and ordered them to proceed with the game. Sai, distraught by the turn of event was unable to focus and consequently lost to his opponent. As a punishment, he was stripped of his title and banished from the capital, his honor gone, and his reputation tarnished by the alleged treachery.

Hikaru saw the devastated Go master standing near the bank of a river. He had shouted with all his might, trying to stop the tragedy from happening, but his voice wouldn't come out. In the end, he could only watch helplessly as Sai drowned himself.

There was a blur, and the scene shifted again. A child was seen approaching a goban. Sai's yearnings for Go was so strong that his spirit was trapped in the Go board. That child, Kuwabara Torajiro was the only one who could see the tears staining the goban and the Heian ghost that emerged from it. An aspiring Go prodigy himself, he had selflessly allowed Sai to play Go once again. Together, they became unstoppable. Torajiro, who later took the name Shusaku Honinbo was hailed as one of the best Go player in his time.

But fate had other plan. In a cholera epidemic that swept through Japan, Shusaku had contracted the fatal disease and died at a young age of thirty three. His blood had stained a kaya goban, and Sai's consciousness, not yet accomplishing his goal, remained in it. The goban changed hands, and despite many games played using it, nobody was blessed enough to notice Shusaku's bloodstain or hear Sai's pleas. Eventually, the ghost found himself stuck in an antique shop until a collector bought the Go board.

Just like a three-dimensional slide show, the scene rapidly switched to a familiar loft. Hikaru almost yelped in surprise to see his former eleven-year-old self, together with Akari entered the place. Then he realized that what he was viewing was actually an assortment of past memories trapped in the board. He saw his younger self making a mess of the place, searching for valuables until he finally found the haunted goban. Akari had left the kid to wait somewhere after he kept insisting that there was bloodstain on it.

Sai was ecstatic to learn that the young Hikaru could see the stain. However, before he had the chance to say anything, a bright light exploded around him and his spirit was involuntarily pulled out of the goban in a sudden movement.

Hikaru was astounded when both Go ghost and his younger self collided into each other and merged into one. Sai was nowhere to be seen, but the kid jumped in shock at the strange occurrence. In his clumsy attempt to run away, he had tripped on the various junks scattered about the wooden flooring. His head bumped painfully into a drawer, and dizzily he touched his head as he tried to regain his balance. Unfortunately, he missed his footsteps and fell headfirst onto the large steel box near him. The forceful blow was strong enough to injure his head and threw him across the room.

The small body hit the floor, but the impact from the crash had landed him on the goban. He lay still, like a broken doll, blood started to ooze steadily from the severe wound. Akari screamed at the sight before her, shaking uncontrollably at the horrifying incident. And still, there was nothing the present Hikaru could do but watched them in abject terror.

On the board, particles of Shusaku's bloodstain rose into the air and disintegrated gradually as darkness shrouded everything.

A firm tap on his shoulder slowly dragged Hikaru from his trance. Barely recovering from the sensation, he opened his eyes dazedly, having no recollection of closing them in the first place. His body started to tremble at the staggering memories, yet he was quick to hide them from his grandfather. "Are you alright, Hikaru?" His grandfather was standing near him, studying him worriedly.

Taking his hand off the board, Hikaru stared at it in awe. Tentatively, he pressed his hand back on the surface. Nothing reached him this time, only an odd sense of nostalgic feelings. He looked to his right and said reassuringly to the old man, "I'm fine, grandpa."

Heihachi frowned, still unconvinced at the short reply. Earlier, he was quite alarmed when the boy didn't respond after he had called Hikaru's name for a few times. "What happened? For a while I thought you weren't here with me." There was a sad, faraway look to him before Hikaru merely shrugged his shoulder, smiling enigmatically. "Ah… nothing, really. I just felt something from the goban, like a lingering memory from the distant past, I guess."

The old man stared at Hikaru then let out a relieved sigh, his concern put at ease now that his grandson didn't seem to be possessed by the haunted goban. Despite his curiosity on Hikaru's secretive behavior, he preferred to let the matter go as long as the boy's recuperation went on smoothly.

From the veranda, he saw his wife slowly approaching them, carrying a basket of groceries in her hand. A brief glance toward the sky told him that they would have to skip Hikaru's routine exercises. Since their house didn't really have the correct facilities to support Hikaru's needs like in the hospital, he had to assist him in showering and soaking in the bath before helping his wife to serve dinner.

"Gramp, can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"Please don't ever sell this antique goban. Its value could never be measured with money."

Running his hand on the noticeable little cracks caused by Hikaru's accident at one of the legs of the goban, Heihachi said reflectively, "Hmph. You know, I keep this goban because your late granduncle used to tell me the same thing before he passed away." If Hikaru's mastery of Go was of any indication, the goban certainly played a part in his sudden ability. "It must be fate to hear it from you again, of all people."

Hikaru was glad that his grandfather was a little bit superstitious.

**ooo…ooOOoo…ooo**

The neighborhood didn't change that much in the last two and a half years. Perhaps because in his unconscious state, he grew and lived his life as a normal teenager that he didn't really feel the difference. In fact, things in the town looked basically the same like in his dreams. His grandfather might be correct about his soul wondering to a lot of places, though he doubted about the friend or promise-making part in his paranormal excursions.

"Hikaru, stop spacing out and watch where you are going. It's dangerous, especially to you," Akari said, gripping the push handles of his wheelchair when she noticed the boy almost bumped against the book rack. They were in a book store, getting some books for Hikaru's revision. Last night, her family was invited for dinner at Shindo's household to celebrate his release from hospital. Unsurprisingly, their main topic of the gathering revolved around Hikaru's education and much to his chagrin, Akari was unanimously appointed as his informal tutor.

She had cheerfully knocked his door in the morning and literally pushed him to this place, with his parents' permission. They had reached the shop exactly at the time it was opened for business and currently only a few early birds were seen walking about their favorite store.

"Oops, sorry. I'm still getting used to this thing." Fumbling with the brakes, he managed to lock the wheels in place. The girl released her hold on the handles after ensuring that Hikaru wouldn't run into trouble and started browsing through the various school books in front of them. Hikaru took an arithmetic exercise book into his hand and checked the contents halfheartedly.

Apparently, his parents had visited his former elementary school to see the principal and after some discussion and arrangement, he would be allowed to skip to the first year of junior high provided he took and passed a special examination consisting of sixth grade academic subjects. Naturally, nobody believed him when he said that he shouldn't have any trouble answering elementary-level questions, since he only scored 8% on the social study test that he took prior to the accident.

And he still needed to retrain his hand to write. Thankfully, the exam questions would be provided in multiple-choice format. He just needed to circle his answer correctly.

Randomly observing the layouts of the store, his eyes unexpectedly caught the signage for the games and sports section. Turning to his left, he said to the girl, "Akari, can I leave the books to you? There's something I would like to check over there." Without waiting for her reply, Hikaru started to unlock the wheels and propelled the wheelchair toward the section. "Fine, just be careful!" Akari said, putting the books she had selected into the basket. From the direction Hikaru took, she could already guess where the boy was heading.

Skimming through the spines of various books in front of him, he hoped to catch an interesting title or two. There were a couple of shelves displaying books on Go in that section, but he couldn't find the title he was looking for. He was about to turn around in disappointment when his keen eyes detected a familiar cover stuck between archery books above him. However, the shelf was totally out of his reach from his sitting position on the wheelchair.

He had to squint just to read the spine title. "Problems… of life and death… by Toya Meijin. That's it!" A small commotion near the entrance caused him to realize that there was no available shop assistant to help him. He didn't really see any patrons around the area either, certainly not at this hour. "What, a celebrity visiting the shop? No wonder nobody is coming to help me," he huffed.

Quickly ignoring whatever happening on the other side of the store, Hikaru returned his attention on how to get the book from the higher shelf. An idea suddenly hit him. He took out a thin, long hardcover book from the rack. Pressing his left hand on the armrest, he strained his upper body upward and tried to poke his intended target out of place using the hardcover book. Still, he couldn't reach it, unless he could stand on his foot rests. So focused on his task, he didn't notice the silent footsteps approaching behind him.

In his efforts to get the Go book written by Toya Meijin, the boy had forgotten to lock the wheels again. His movements had pushed the wheels backward and almost tossed him out of the wheelchair if it weren't for a pair of hands suddenly grabbing him and stopping his device at the same time. The book in his hand fell on the floor with a loud thud.

"Whoa!" Hikaru yelped in surprise, silently cursing himself for not heeding Akari's earlier warning.

He felt arms steadying his position on the seat cushion. "Are you alright, kid?" The person bent down to pick the dropped book and swiftly returned it to the rack.

Hikaru froze, eyes widened in disbelief at the familiar voice.

The voice spoke again, breaking him from his dizzy spell with his admonishing remark, "That's really dangerous. What do you think you're doing, trying to get something without help in your condition?" Slowly, the boy turned his wheelchair around to face the person who had just saved him from an unwanted accident. He stammered when the owner of the familiar voice was confirmed. "Toya… Akira!"

Toya Akira, a second-dan Go professional at the young age of fourteen looked a little taken aback at the mention of his name. Observing the young boy in front of him, he asked curiously, "So you know my name. Do you play Go?" Placing his hands on the push rims, Hikaru averted his eyes and said nervously, "Yeah, I do." As long as he kept playing the game, he knew that they were bound to meet sooner or later. However, he had never expected their first encounter to happen in a book store, of all places.

"Oh, you do?" The Go prodigy smiled approvingly, clearly happy to know that Go was still relevant in his generation. From his physical appearance, the young boy looked like he was still in an elementary school, probably a few years younger than him. "Go is a great game, right?" Eyeing the books neatly arranged on the shelves above the boy's head, he wondered which one he risked himself to get just now. "I believe one of these books has caught your interest. Would you like me to take it for you?"

The boy was a little bit annoyed that Akira was treating him like a kid, but given that the teenager didn't know his history, Hikaru couldn't blame him. To him, Hikaru was simply a stranger he met and saved by chance. "Yeah, Go is fun." He propelled his wheelchair halfway and motioned his hand toward the rack. "I would like to have the Go book written by Toya Meijin. It's stuck on the archery shelf, the third book from left. Could you please get it for me?"

Looking at the direction the kid showed him, Akira easily spotted the misplaced book and took it out from the rack. "I see. This is the latest edition written by my father, which sold very well. You've just picked it at the best time ever." Passing the hardcover to Hikaru, he said gracefully, "He's here with me right now, in this very store. Would you like to speak to him?"

Smiling at Hikaru's dumbfounded look, Akira winked harmlessly. "I think I might be able to arrange an autograph for you."

In his long dreams with Sai, Hikaru didn't really care for any autographs, if he recalled the hilarious experiences with Kurata-san. But he knew how Sai really wanted the book, offered as a grand prize at Tsutsui's booth in the Haze Middle School festival before Kaga ripped it to shred in his anger directed to Akira and Go in general. Nevertheless, Toya Meijin was Sai's rival, and they had acknowledged each other's mastery of the game. "Please." Hikaru returned Akira's smile. "I'd love to."

"If that's the case, let me take you to see him." Akira was about to push Hikaru's wheelchair to look for his father when the title holder appeared on their lane, followed by the shop manager and his assistant. Since the man was quite a big fan of Toya Meijin, their arrival had caused some excitement among the small crowd in the store.

To Hikaru, Toya Koyo was a serious man with no sense of humor dressed in his traditional Japanese clothing all the time. However, he would never deny the hidden affection the man had for his only child. "There you are, Akira." Exuding a great aura as one of the top Go players in the world, the Meijin glanced at the tense boy on the wheelchair and the book in his hand before directing his gaze toward his son. "What are you doing here?"

Akira smiled politely, moving to stand next to Hikaru. "I was looking around and met him by accident just now. He recognized me and was a little bit surprised when I told him that you are here. If possible, he would like to have your autograph."

"I see." His stern eyes carefully studying the young boy who nodded nervously at him, waiting for him to sign the book. The man didn't know why, but somehow there was something indiscernible about the boy that he couldn't sense in any Go players he had met before. "What's your name, child?" Elegantly, he extended his palm, and Hikaru hastily passed the book to him, a little unnerved by his grave demeanor.

"It's Shindo. Shindo Hikaru," the boy said somewhat sheepishly, he didn't bring any pen with him. Calmly, the Meijin opened the book, and then turned to the shop manager behind him. "Excuse me, may I borrow your pen?" In a fast movement, the young manager quickly whipped out a fountain pen from his chest pocket and handed it to his idol. "Here, Toya Meijin."

"Thank you, Yamada-kun." In a beautiful kanji, the title-holder signed his signature on the empty endpaper page of the inside cover and passed the book to Hikaru, who graciously accepted the signed copy. He then returned the borrowed pen to his owner.

Hikaru bowed his head respectfully. "Thank you very much, Toya Meijin. It's an honor to meet you." He received a slight acknowledgement in return, and the Meijin started to move away as the staff escorted him to the entrance. His son began to follow suit, but not before giving him a piece of paper.

"Shindo-kun, we have a Go event not far from here. Please visit if you have the time."

**ooo…ooOOoo…ooo**

He was still reading the flier the Toya junior gave him when Akari came carrying a small basket of books. The look on her face made his stomach churn in distress. "Hikaru, why didn't you get back to the school curricula section?"

Slipping the flier inside the Go book, he gave her a guilty grin and apologized sincerely, "I'm sorry, something happened and I was a little bit preoccupied just now." Pointing to the basket, he commented at the number of books Akari planned to have him study, and the girl simply mentioned that half of the books were for his junior high school preparation. When he expressed his concern that the books would be quite heavy for Akari to carry, she replied by saying that unlike textbooks, exercises books were thin and wouldn't trouble her. She could still keep all of them in her backpack.

Satisfied with her answer, he took out the wallet from his jacket. "Let's pay and visit some place then."

Akari read the hardcover title on his lap, raising her brow at the piece of paper sticking out from the book. She asked in a lighthearted tone, "Is it Go related?"

"Yeah, obviously."

**To be continued…**

* * *

><p>Thank you for reading, and thank you for the reviews, alerts and favs I've received. Future updates will be a little bit sporadic due to work and personal obligations. I'm sorry about it but I hope people will understand.<p>

Quite a few reviewers are asking about OCs, so I should give some explanation here. OCs will be used accordingly to support the real characters, not to hijack the story. Somehow, I made the psychiatrist look important enough in the last two chapters that people had wondered whether this story will be full of OCs. I'll be more careful in later chapters and I'll do my best to cram this fanfic with all named characters that can be found in the Hikago manga. Of course, they wouldn't appear all at once.

Hikaru doesn't tell anybody about Sai. The hints and connections between them are there, let's see if you can guess it. Science and mysterious, supernatural things coexist together, that's why miracles happen. Until next time then. Ja ne.


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